Several years ago when I was researching my Poindexter family the lineage took me back to their origins on the Isle of Jersey to some very early years. With those early years came very early customs, some of which were stones for their houses.

Identification Stones

I’m not referring to stones that you would use to build houses, but ones to identify who resides there. There are different types of these stones. Some are called datestones because they might be indicating the date that the family moved into a home, or when the couple residing within were married. In the case of the stone pictured above, it was when the new house was done after there had been a fire. (I especially like the entwined hearts between the initials of the residents!).

I’ve found a very delightful website called The Jersey Datestones Project that gives examples of stones from the Isle of Jersey, the birthplace of my ancestor immigrant George Poindexter (Poingdestre) and one of his family, Jean Poingdestre and his wife Elizabeth Touzel. At this writing I’m making a guess that the page referred to was authored by Alex Glendinning.

You’ve probably seen a lintel stone over doorways many times, but may not have known their technical name. In modern times they can be plain, with no writing on them at all. They may serve a structural purpose, or also denote the establishment of the family residency in the home.